Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.
Position Overview
The Senior Merch Ops Manager plays a key role in shaping the digital assortment strategy for Polo Men's and Polo Women's. The role acts as the digital voice across the buy cycle, using customer behaviour, site performance, availability metrics, and trading insights to influence pre-season planning and in-season decisions. This position requires navigating senior cross-functional forums, challenging assumptions, and consolidating complex data into clear direction for Buying, Planning, and Inventory teams. The remit spans assortment, availability, zero-seller reduction, size and depth optimisation, and the integration of post-season hindsight into future buys. The Senior Manager is expected to lead conversations at divisional level, represent digital priorities consistently, and drive operational improvements that directly impact NPS, cancelled orders, and overall assortment quality.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Assortment Influence & Strategy
- Represent digital at all key buy cycle forums, including post-adoption reviews, pre-season alignment, and strategic summits.
- Consolidate insights across navigation, search, sell-through, availability, Notify Me, and size trends to shape Polo's seasonal buy.
- Influence option count, depth, and SKU architecture using data-led recommendations.
- Lead alignment on category-level risks and opportunities with Buying, Planning, and Inventory partners.
Availability & In-Season Trading
- Own availability visibility and partner with Allocation to improve depth, reduce early sellouts, and reduce fragmentation.
- Lead Polo's zero-seller identification, root-cause analysis, and removal recommendations.
- Shape corrective actions during in-season trading to reduce order cancellations and customer friction.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Serve as the primary digital counterpart for Polo Buying, Planning, Inventory, Site Ops, Connected Retail, and Business Planning.
- Drive senior stakeholder alignment and ensure follow-through on actions across multiple teams and regions.
- Lead the creation and delivery of divisional reviews, hindsight packs, and digital-specific summaries.
Data & Reporting
- Own insight consolidation across dashboards, availability reports, size analysis, and customer behaviour signals.
- Translate complex analytics into simple, actionable direction for commercial partners.
- Present findings and strategic recommendations to senior leaders.
Ways of Working & Process Leadership
- Champion consistent Merch Ops processes and operating principles across Polo.
- Identify opportunities to streamline decision-making and improve cross-functional rhythm.
- Guide the Merch Ops Manager to adopt shared standards (peer leadership, not line)
Experience, Skills & Knowledge
- Substantial proven experience in merchandising, planning, allocation, or digital trading with direct e-commerce experience – min 7 full strategic performance cycles.
- Significant experience partnering with senior stakeholders in a global or matrixed retail environment.
- Proven ability to influence buy decisions using data, insights, and commercial reasoning.
- Demonstrated ability to lead seasonal planning cycles and large cross-functional meetings.
- Strong understanding of OTB, option planning, size curves, depth vs width, and assortment lifecycle.
#J-18808-Ljbffr